126

My Last Duchess

Duke just lost wife after 3 years of marriage and is meeting with an agent from a Count to arrange a
marriage with his daughter. (I used the words ‘hook up with’ and Freddy began to bang his head against
the wall because of the connotation with the words ‘hook up with’)

They are in his large castle walking down to dinner and he is showing the agent many different pictures
and sculptures, but then, right before the stairs, is a large curtain coving a painting. The duke pulls back
curtain and begins to tell story of his late wife.

He says “She had a heart – how shall I say? – too soon made glad, too easily impressed…” In this, he
attacks his late wife for being so friendly and talking with others, he was a very jealous man and saw it
as flirting. These feelings stems from his feelings of inadequacy of himself.

He also says, “… she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-year-old name with anybody’s gift…” In modern
English, he says, “Look at what I gave her, my great name to be associated with, and she doesn’t really
care that much.” He is very arrogant and prideful.

Later, he says, “This grew; I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together…” In modern English, he
says, “She didn’t appreciate me and was going to end up making a mistake and leaving me for another
man, so I had her killed, no big deal…” Remember who he is speaking to, the agent who is going to
arrange his marriage. He has not filter due to his pride and arrogance. Back to the curtain, he has it up
so only he can see her, now he has complete control.

Now the agent was selected for a rather important job, so we can assume that he is rather trustworthy.
He now goes back and is to tell the Count about the meeting and whether or not he should have his
daughter married with the duke. It is a safe bet that the duke will remain lonely a while longer.

Rossetti Background:

 comes from a literate family

 dad was a poet and exiled because of political stance
 mother was a friend and wrote with Lord Byron
 brother – Dante Gabriel Rossetti – was an author and artist, well known
 had another brother and sister who also wrote, but not nearly as famous
 she was very involved with the evangelical movement
 like Emily Dickenson and Jane Austen, never marries (you’ll see why in “No, Thank You, John”)
 has at least two suitors
o turns down the first because he was not religious enough
o turns down the second because he was protestant
 like Browning, only gives you part of the puzzle, you need to read between the lines
o almost like you walk into a play that is already going on for half an hour

(Media Res)
I never said I loved you, John:
Why will you tease me day by day,
And wax a weariness to think upon
With always "do" and "pray"?
You know I never loved you, John;
No fault of mine made me your toast:
Why will you haunt me with a face as wan
As shows an hour-old ghost?
I dare say Meg or Moll would take
Pity upon you, if you'd ask:
And pray don't remain single for my sake
Who can't perform that task.
I have no heart?—Perhaps I have not;
But then you're mad to take offence
That I don't give you what I have not got:
Use your own common sense.
Let bygones be bygones:
Don't call me false, who owed not to be true:
I'd rather answer "No" to fifty Johns
Than answer "Yes" to you.
Let's mar our pleasant days no more,
Song-birds of passage, days of youth:
Catch at today, forget the days before:
I'll wink at your untruth.
Let us strike hands as hearty friends;
No more, no less; and friendship's good:
Only don't keep in view ulterior ends,
And points not understood
In open treaty. Rise above
Quibbles and shuffling off and on:
Here's friendship for you if you like; but love,—
No, thank you, John.
127
(John) “Will you marry me?”
(Narrator)---“No”
“Why, you said you loved me”
---“I never said I loved you”
“But you lead me on”
---“No I didn’t”
“O, yes you did”
---“Even if you were to lead on, you know that I
never loved, and will never love you”
“(Pity card)…”
---“If you want to play the pity card, I know two
people down the street who will happily play
you little games”
“I don’t want them, I love you! And if I can’t
have you, then I will never love anyone else and
remain lonely forever.”
---“O, shut up you whining little girl”
“Wow, you are a heartless bitch”
---“Well that makes no sense, how can I love
you if I have no heart”
(conversation is becoming very bitter)
“Why do you have to be so mean, it was you
who was the two-face rotten lying whore”
---“Don’t call me a liar, I have always believed
that I would never go out with you”
“Why do you have to be so mean, it is a
beautiful day, why don’t we just get married,
eat a picnic in the park, and live happily ever
after?”
(The worst card that a woman can play)
---“O John, I really don’t have feelings for you,
Why don’t we just be friends? I will forget all
this nonsense. I want you to understand that
this is in no way saying that I love you, don’t get
false ideas, and let us just be friends.”
(and know you know why she never married)